The Pet Lovers Guide to San Antonio

Everything pets and their humans need to know to live the good life in SA

By Sarah Stockman

Where to workout, shop, dine and play with your furever friend

Socialize + Shop

The Pearl offers doggie water fountains, plenty of poop bags and a faux grass area that’s ideal for socializing with other pups. The weekend farmers market has become a mainstay for pet lovers. 303 Pearl Pkwy., atpearl.com

Eat + Play

At The Cove, enjoy burgers and beer while dogs play in the park area or relax on the patio. If your pup gets thirsty, ask the bartender for a disposable water bowl. 606 W. Cypress St., thecove.us

Workout together

Incorporating cross-training, agility exercises and cardio, Go Fetch Run is sure to have tongues out and tails wagging. Every first Saturday session (Sept. 8 this month) is free through the city’s Fitness in the Park program (additional sessions can be purchased). Hardberger Park East, 13203 Blanco Road, gofetchrun.com/sa-home

Watch the Spurs

Head to The Friendly Spot in Southtown to watch sports and movies on a huge inflatable screen with man’s best friend. Humans love the laid-back vibe and dogs enjoy the hydration station. 943 S. Alamo St., thefriendlyspot.com

Head to “yappy hour”

Sip on a margarita while your pet drools over the doggy menu under a covered patio or in the outdoor air-conditioned courtyard at Rita’s on The River. Yappy Hour, on select first Tuesdays, includes live music, puppy treats and specials on human food. 245 E. Commerce St., Ste. 100, ritasontheriver.com

Shop till you drop

Leashed pets are welcomed in all common areas and department stores at The Shops at La Cantera as well as many smaller retail stores and outdoor patio areas of restaurants. 15900 La Cantera Pkwy., theshopsatlacantera.com

Go ghost hunting

Sisters Grimm Ghost Tours Haunted History Walk guides will lead you and your leashed furry friend to the most haunted locations in downtown San Antonio. 204 Alamo Plaza, Ste. T, between Rivercenter Mall and the Menger Hotel, sistersgrimmghosttour.com

My Life as an Insta-Famous Cat: Pizza

Breed: I’m not a big fan of vodka or bears, but they still consider me a Russian Blue.

Age: 4

My humans are: Meghan Fest and Frank Weysos (Poor guys are completely furless and missing their tails, but I still love them.)

What my humans do: My pawrents are creatives. Meowmy is a pet portrait artist and Cat Dad is a filmmaker. Together, they make funny animations and have an ameowzing children’s book (starring me) that they are working on getting published.

Where we live: I do all of my napping in Beacon Hill.

Best thing about my humans: They direct photo shoots for me every week with a different theme.

Worst thing about my humans: When they give my seven fur brothers and sisters any ounce of the spotlight. I should be the star at all times.

The City’s Top Dog Parks

When walking down the same street day after day just isn’t good enough, head to one of these five canine hot spots

Phil Hardberger Park (North Central)

Best for: Dogs of all sizes that like separate spaces to stretch their paws

Highlight: The 1.8-acre spot for large dogs on the east side of the park

The Bark Park (Alamo Heights)

Best for: Dogs that enjoy play dates

Highlight: Large trees for shade and a water trough for cooling off in the hot summer months

McAllister Park (North Central)

Best for: Highly active pups

Highlight: An agility course, tunnels, a doggie fountain and lots of trails to walk or run with your four-legged friend

Tom Slick Park (West Side)

Best for: Wearing out dogs (in the fenced park) and kids (on the playground)

Highlight: A fountain pets and kids alike can enjoy plus a special dog-friendly shower where you can clean up your pup following the fun

Pearsall Park (Southwest Side)

Best for: Making friends with the regulars

Highlight: Playground-like agility equipment for dogs

12 Specialty Services for Your Animal’s Every Need

K9 Café Boutique & Spa

Give your pups the quality they deserve at this state-of-the-art dog spa and salon offering professional grooming, convenient self-service wash tubs, complete with all the brushes and tools you’ll need, a mobile boutique and a 4,000-square-foot brick and mortar shop. 5440 Babcock Road, Ste. 144, k9cafesa.com

Pawderosa Ranch

Doggie daycare, lodging and a full-service salon and spa makes “The Ranch” a dog favorite. You can even get glimpses of your pup while you’re away with photos that are emailed from the ranch. 923 Clydeville Road; 7 Commercial Place, Schertz, pawderosaranch.com

Teach your pup to be an upstanding member of society on and off the leash with professional dog training programs and services ranging from private lessons to classes and immersive training during boarding. 10025 Broadway, sitmeanssit.com

MissionVet Specialty & Emergency

Find 24-hour emergency care for those after-hours issues that your family vet is unavailable to treat. MissionVet also offers specialty services in internal medicine, general surgery and orthopedics, oncology, dermatology and neurology, which can address things like seizures and balance disorders. For pets who suffer from allergies like their humans, allergy care is also available. 8202 N. Loop 1604 W., mission.vet

The Wagmore Pet Resort

Since 2010, this eco-friendly, locally owned resort has been catering to dogs and cats. From luxurious boarding accommodations (with add-ons like bedtime tuck in and cuddle time) to grooming services, day care and training, Wagmore gives pets more reasons to wag. 9440 Dietz Elkhorn Road, wagmorepetresort.com

Rob Cary Pet Resort

The family that opened this facility in 1976 is still at the helm. Boarding is available for dogs and cats as well as birds and amenities abound, including music piped into pet suites. Grooming, training and a retail shop are all on-site. 14824 Bulverde Road, robcary.com

Metro Pup SA Dog Walking & Pet Sitting

Looking for an alternative to traditional boarding? Metro Pup provides dog walking, pet sitting, nighttime care when needed and wedding attendant services for those who want their dog at their wedding but don’t want the hassle of transporting him to the venue or taking him out for bathroom breaks. metropupsa.com

Westridge Pet Hospital & Wellness Center

Just like people, every pet is different and some require a little extra T.L.C. The pros here provide your pet with the specialty vet care they need, including physical therapy and rehabilitation, acupuncture, underwater treadmill, nutrition consultations, chiropractic care and more. 6695 Tri County Pkwy., Schertz, westridgepet.com

Canine Couture Pet Spa

Run by a third-generation groomer, Canine Couture helps your dog stand out in a crowd. Custom “creative grooming” is perfect for special occasions—think Fiesta parades where colorful hair is needed—or simply because you want your pet to look and feel fabulous. 13227 Nacogdoches Road, Ste. 1, caninecouturepetspa.com

Movin’ n Groomin’ Mobile Grooming Salon

If getting your pet to the groomer is the toughest part, call this family-owned-and-operated van. They use only natural, plant-based and cruelty-free products and complete all services without a cage. movinngroomin.com

My Life as an Insta-Famous Rabbit: Maximus “Max”

What my human does: My human is the proprietor of a bespoke clothing company called The Perfect Shirt. I work closely with the brand as the CSO: chief shredding officer.

Where we live: I live very close to the produce department at H-E-B.

How I found my human: My human rescued me from a barn. I was living outside! I am so lucky to now live the life of luxury inside. I was my human’s first house rabbit.

Best thing about my human: I’ve trained my human to be an excellent treat giver. I use my adorable good looks to get whatever treat I want.

Worst thing about my human: My human won’t let me eat any more cords (phone charger, computer cord, etc.) She seems to think it’s dangerous, but I prefer to live my life on the edge. My cord of choice is anything from Apple.

Where we play: I live in an incredible lair and spend the majority of my time surveying my territory from my castle. Whatever the light touches is mine. I also enjoy watching Harry Potter with my human and chasing my cat sibling around the house.

My likes: Nap, sleep, eat … but mostly nap. I am the nap king.

My dislikes: I will try and bite anyone that brushes me. I prefer to live my life as a glorious shedding ball of fluff.

My biggest indulgence: B-A-N-A-N-A-S!

My nicknames: I prefer to be called Lord Maximus, but my human calls me Bug or Max.

Sarah’s go-to…

Vet: Dr. Powers at Ten West Bird and Animal Hospital

Boarder: Alamo City House Rabbits

Hoppy Hour: Alamo City House Rabbits’ events

Farmers market: Pearl Farmers Market

Things To Do With Your Pet

Dogs just want to have fun—and they can at events throughout the year

Jazz’SAlive

Sept. 21-22

Celebrate 35 years of jazz in the historic Travis Park with your pup by your side. There is no charge to attend for humans or dogs, just bring your blanket and chair and find a spot in the park. saparksfoundation.org/jazzsalive

Fest of Tails

March

The San Antonio Parks Foundations welcomes spring each March with this kite and dog festival at McAllister Park. The day includes a parade of costumed dogs, kite demonstrations and plenty of opportunities for fun with the whole family. facebook.com/festoftails

San Antonio Rampage Pucks & Paws

March 24

Whether you have a Husky or a cold-weather-loving chihuahua, treat your furry sports-fan sidekick to a hockey game at the Rampage’s annual bring-your-dog night. Water and relief stations are typically set up in the AT&T Center’s Bud Light Courtyard along with activities to amuse your dog and pooches looking to be adopted. sarampage.com

Fiesta Pooch Parade

April 27

A Fiesta highlight for 20 years, the Pooch Parade takes costumed dogs (and their people) on a 2.6-mile stroll through Alamo Heights. Proceeds from the event benefit Therapy Animals of San Antonio.therapyanimalssa.org

El Rey Fido Coronation

April

The San Antonio Humane Society celebrates the culmination of a fundraising campaign by naming its furry Fiesta royalty: El Rey Fido and his court. Both two- and four-legged friends are welcome at the coronation. sahumane.org

Dog Days at the San Antonio Botanical Garden

A few times a year (typically in March and August), the garden dedicates a weekend to allowing fur friends to enjoy a walk through most of its lively landscape. Water bowls are placed throughout the garden and organizations are on-site with information about pet ownership and animals available for adoption. sabot.org

Pet-approved Shopping

Turn to these local products and boutiques to spoil your four-legged companions

Help the environment while walking your dog with P.U.P. Bags (Pick Up Plastic), started by local Caitlin Martone Cox and her mom, Jane Schaller. The bags clip on to your dog’s leash or collar and expand into a large reusable bag, so you can collect any litter you come across. etsy.com/shop/pupbags

9. Fetch and Friskers Barkery and Bow-tique

Freshly baked, all-natural, human-grade treats and cookies baked in-house with no sugar, salt or preservatives. There’s also an extensive line of collars, leashes and other doggie products in the Bow-tique. 701 S. Main St., Boerne, fetchandfriskers.com

Bow ties and small batch, all-natural dog treats baked locally. Find them at a variety of spots around town or sign up to receive a monthly box of freshly made treats. katiesjar.net; locally at Bird Bakery, Bakery Lorraine, Revolucion Coffee + Juice, The Growler Exchange and Chica Verde

Happy Tails

Four heartwarming animal shelter success stories

“I adopted Bru Bru from the Humane Society of the New Braunfels Area after fostering him as a young kitten. I fell completely in love with him and ‘foster failed’ and officially adopted him in December 2016. His story of survival and the way he fought to live his best life from such a young age touched me. Adopting is the most rewarding experience. Ultimately, you save two lives—the life of the animal adopted as well as a new animal entering the shelter in its place.”—Leah Taylor

“We adopted Loki at the San Antonio Humane Society on July 3, 2017. He was one of the only dogs at the shelter who was calmly sitting in his kennel. He just stared at us and started to wag his tail as we walked toward him. We decided to walk him around and when we stopped to bend down to say a closer hello, he immediately put all of his body weight on us and started giving us endless kisses. Every dog in a shelter deserves a second chance at life; they just need someone to take a chance on them.”—Charli Behn

“When Molly came into our care she was badly burned, although that did not slow her down one bit! The combination of her vibrant and playful disposition along with the diligent care of our hospital staff turned this terribly sad situation into a shelter success story. She was adopted on July 13. Dogs have an incredible ability to be resilient and positive during the toughest of times. At ADL, we believe this is something we can all learn from.”—Janice Darling, executive director, Animal Defense League of Texas

“Mitzy was turned into Animal Care Services as a stray in January. Alamo City House Rabbits was able to pick her up. She had a skin condition, which we discovered was mange. A member had had a rabbit that passed away a few months earlier, and she decided to foster (and later adopted) Mitzy. Once she was cured, she was able to run free in the house. She loves to do ‘zoomies’ (running very fast). Now, Mitzy often serves as an education bunny for group events.”—Tina Gilson, president, Alamo City House Rabbits

My Life as an Insta-Famous Dog: Dakota

What my humans do: They get upset at me for eating a lot. But I think you want to know what they do for a living, right? Rey is a local promoter and is always promoting fancy ladies in shiny dresses and big wigs. My daddies also own Male B Wear (a men’s underwear, swimwear and apparel boutique on Main Avenue).

Where we live: Northwest San Antonio

Best thing about my humans: They give me treats. They feed me. They walk me. They love me and don’t care that I shed a few hairs here and there. I love when they pretend not to see me sneak up and try to eat my brother’s and sister’s food.

Worst thing about my humans: When they don’t drop anything on the floor for me while they’re eating. Why won’t they share their food?

Where we play: I play all over our house and love our doggy door (even though I don’t fit through it quite like I used to).

My likes: Short walks, treats and taking long naps any time of the day.